WPC 2011: Microsoft Touts Windows Phone "Mango"

When it comes to Windows Phone, Microsoft is in a bit of a bind. On the one hand, the software giant has created an innovative and useful mobile platform that offers important improvements over the Android and iPhone competition. But on the other hand, no one seems to be buying the phones and, if anything, Microsoft has actually lost mobile usage share over the past year.

So give Microsoft some credit for at least being honest about this concern, and the company is now looking to the following year—with its major Nokia partnership and the release of Windows Phone v2, code-named "Mango"—to jumpstart the ailing platform.

"In a year, we've gone from very small to ... very small," Ballmer deadpanned during Monday's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) 2011 keynote address, referring to Windows Phone usage. That drew laughs from the audience, but the message was certainly clear enough: Microsoft needs to do better in mobile.

To demonstrate the advances it's making along those lines, the company showed off second-generation Windows Phone handsets for the first time on Tuesday, also at WPC. The new devices add features that will be exposed by Mango, but also boast other improvements, including a waterproof handset from Fujitsu and a beautiful new Samsung design with a huge screen and very thin and light form factor. Microsoft noted that ZTE, one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, would be making a Windows Phone, though the company is relatively unknown outside of China. Acer is also on board.

Another key complaint about Windows Phone today is camera quality: All of the first-generation Windows Phone handsets have lousy cameras, even by smartphone standards. But that's changing in the second generation, with Nokia and its superior optics leading the way, Microsoft says.

Microsoft Windows Phone Division President Andy Lees said Tuesday that the release of Mango would be a major milestone for the fledgling platform.

"With Windows Phone 7 and our upcoming 'Mango' release, we bring a familiar platform and tools together with the breadth of Microsoft products to help partners scale and reach new customers," he said. "This represents a huge opportunity for partners to thrive and grow their business in the rapidly expanding Windows Phone ecosystem."

But Lees later ran into some controversial territory when he finally addressed a key topic at the heart of any Windows Phone discussion: Why isn't Microsoft using this innovative OS in a tablet, as Apple did with iOS and Google did with Android? "We view a tablet as a PC," Lees said—which is a curious position for the guy in charge of Microsoft's non-PC OS. One has to think that Lees would personally love to see Windows Phone OS on a tablet.

Of course, Microsoft's tablet plans are wrapped up in Windows 8, which should ship by mid-2012. But that's two years after the first iPad, giving Apple—and now a host of other competitors—a huge head start.

Discuss this Article 25

Anonymous

on Jul 13, 2011

Microsoft already views tablets as a PC and that view hasn't sparked sales. It's too early to tell whether a new OS will change things but one thing is clear based on these statements. Microsoft is not only in a bind in mobile but tablets too. The last thing Microsoft wants to do is validate that a "large iPod Touch" is the future direction of computing. They sell a desktop OS and any acknowledgment that a mobile device shouldn't run a desktop OS would lend more credence to a "post-PC" world.
This reminds me somewhat of GM when they didn't promote electric vehicles when their primary profits were from much larger cars, trucks and hummers. They eventually moved away from the hummer but at the cost of bankruptcy and a near death experience. MIcrosoft isn't in this kind of trouble yet but if Windows 8 won't run well on tablets and any other mobile devices they have in mind then they may well regret their decision that a tablet is a desktop.

It's just too incredible to watch.
Like a train wreck in slow motion.
Windows on a tablet. = bloated, unstable, a security nightmare and an instant target for script kiddies and digital ne'er-do-goods.
Tablets are a totally inappropriate form factor for this type of OS, even with the pig lipstick tile interface.
Is anyone going to run standard Windows software on this thing, or think that they can?
Mango and Nokia will make no difference to the success of WP7.
I've said it before: nobody wants Nokia hardware and nobody wants WP7.
Why is Microsoft and Nokia assuming that two wrongs will make a right?

infiniteloop You can help me with this...You the man with the links...
Does AT&T sell more iPhones than Android or is it the other way around?
Same for Verizon in the period that they have had the iPhone?

@infiniteloop
"Windows on a tablet. = bloated, unstable" blah blah blah.
When was the last time you looked at a properly configured Windows computer? I'm betting never. With Windows configured correctly, it's just as secure as any other OS. They are all insecure, so get off your high horse. The reason Windows gets picked on is because it's the most popular OS on the planet, and because most people configure it in an insecure manner.
"even with the pig lipstick tile interface."
So this is an interface you've used before? I assume so, since you sound like you're speaking from experience with it. So when did you try it? How long did you use it, and what for? What specifically (note, I said specifically - don't just throw out general rant-like criticisms) did you find the drawbacks to be?
"Is anyone going to run standard Windows software on this thing, or think that they can?"
We don't know yet. What's your point? I tend to think that people will run Tablet Applications on it.... Maybe (gasp) developers will write new applications to run on it.
"I've said it before: nobody wants Nokia hardware and nobody wants WP7."
How in the world would you know what anyone else would want? Do you read minds? Maybe the fact that there are more Nokia phones ON THE PLANET than any other manufacturer might have some bearing on whether they will sell or not. In your little world, do you think that's a possibility?
Kindly stop spouting anti-Microsoft rants. If you have something non-partisan to say, we'd be happy to hear it. Otherwise kindly STFU. Thank you. Now crawl back into your warren and have a nice day.

@argraphics - A stylus is useful for some people, less so for others. If you don't want to use one, don't. If others do, so be it. Is that so difficult? Even Apple seemingly is starting to understand this - http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/apple-patent-apps-describe-smart-pens... Either they saw what HTC did on the Flyer, liked it and decided to borrow the idea; or they "blew it" as Steve Jobs himself said about the stylus.
By the way - What would AT&T's and Verizon's sales figures have to do with this? I'm confused as to what you are trying to prove.

Re security:
How many viruses for Windows in the wild?
How many for OSX?
How many for iOS?
How many more times does this need spelling out?
It's quite nice up here on my high horse. I have a much better view of things.

Re Pig Lipstick interface:
It took a while to find a phone running WP7. There don't seem to be many about.
Yes I've used it. It gets in the way. Waiting for animations to finish before you get on with anything is very frustrating. It's not simple, it's overdone. After 5 minutes you just want it to be out of the way. It's as irritating as the genie effect in OSX. But at least you can turn that off.
Windows 8 with that interface is going to be a nightmare.
I expect Microsoft will need to re-introduce XP.

Its obvious why MS does not want WP7 on tablets.
The license fee for Windows is much higher (3-5x) than the fee for WP7.
As non desktop computing devices become more prevalent, MS stands to lose quite a bit of revenue if people use WP7 instead of Windows.

"Re security:
How many for OSX?
How many for iOS?"
If we are going to talk about security, let's not just talk virii/worms. Go here and look at the results without bias (I know it's a stretch for you, but try):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwn2own
Remind me, who got hacked first???
"Nobody wants Nokia hardware. Less so with WP7 on it. "
Again, what crystal ball are you using? Can you also tell me what the lottery numbers will be a year from now? I'd like to know so I can buy tickets.
Tile interface - "Yes I've used it. It gets in the way."
So since you don't like it, no one will. Wow, you're a trendsetter. FYI, I quite like it. Yes, I have a WP7 supplied by my work. And it works very well for me.

My reason for not even considering Windows Phone 7 is that it looked like the Zune interface from the pics I saw. I hated the Zune interface so I wasn't even willing to give the phone a chance based off of what I saw. I just bought a HTC EVO 3D phone running Android. I am very happy with my purchase. I was using the Palm Pre.

@tayme
I was just curious about sales numbers on carriers where iphone and android are sold...Really has nothing to do with anything....Just a thought that came in my head
BTW if you dont have a google + Invite i have a bunch if anyone wants

@BF:
Follow my link. That tells you about the dwindling popularity of Nokia hardware.
If WP7 is so great. Why is nobody choosing it despite it being available on many different handsets from a multitude of makers?
Why are handsets from Nokia going to be any different?

I am considering a WP7 phone. One big thing in the back of my mind is how long is Microsoft going to support it? They seem to have a short attention span. In the beginning they say they're in for the long haul, but are they? I liked the Zune now its gone without much effort from Microsoft to save it. Reading about WP7 updates and the carriers doesn't instill alot of confidence. When I get a smartphone I'm committing to pay hundreds of dollars over the life of the phone and trusting that it will work/be supported. I don't know if Microsoft has earned that trust.

@infiniteloop
I can answer all of your questions the same way you should - I don't know what is in the minds of others. I don't know why people aren't choosing WP7. Maybe because they haven't taken a really good objective look at it. Maybe, like you, they are brand loyalists. Maybe they listen to the knee-jerk idiots that think that anything Microsoft does is garbage. Maybe they don't think it has the "cool" factor that an iOS device seems to have.
Whatyever theior reasons are their own. But stating that you know that the WP7 platform is going to fail because you like iOS and all Apple devices is silly and presumptive. No one knows what's going to happen in the next year or two, least of all me.
The difference between you and I is that you feel you must belittle anyone that doesn't share your viewpoint. If it weren't for your attitude, I probably wouldn't have posted at all.

@anonymous
If your concern is lack of support by the manufacturer, then don't buy any phone. There is no guarantee that any OS is going to be supported for more than a couple of years. Android has many versions (2.0, 2.1, 2.2, etc.). iOS has version 4 right now. Once iOS5 comes out, Apple will probably suggest you buy a new device instead of having to support the old version. I would like to say that Microsoft will continue to support WP7 once Mango comes out, but I just don't know for sure and I hate assumptions.
Ultimately, if you can find a phone that does what you want and has features you like, buy it and accept that you've just given your money to one of the manufacturers. Hopefully they support you at least until a new phone comes out with features you like better.

@BananaJr:
O.... M..... G...... Does someone have to be at blame? I'm not saying it's anyone's fault. You have obviously missed what I was trying to say, so I'll say it in a different way so that maybe you can understand it. Here it is: I have no idea why Joe Consumer buys phoneX or phoneY because I can't read his mind and as far as I can tell neither can you or anyone else here. If I'm wrong, please tell me.
Hopefully those people are buying the phones they like and that suit their purpose. That's not necessarily Microsoft's fault. It's not necesarily Apple's fault when someone buys an Android phone either. If you buy cheese of BrandX does that mean it's BrandW's fault? No. You bought what you wanted. Good for you.
Yes, Microsoft were late to the game. That doesn't mean that they won't turn things around and come back. They might and they might not. Spouting drivel like "CompanyX is dead now" or "CompanyY is gonna kill those guys" is speculation. If it makes you happy to do so, that's great. Just don't be surprised if CompanyX doesn't go under next week.

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